Rounding The Bases
by SentimentalTune
Summary: Nothing like gnocchi night and a Red Sox game to get Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles to confront how they feel about each other.


Disclaimer: I don't own Rizzoli & Isles. I'm not making any money off of this, just having a little fun.A/N: I haven't written fanfic in almost 4 years. It took Rizzoli & Isles to convince me that my hiatus is finally over. Something about these two characters roped me in from episode one, so this fic has been a long time coming. Jane's POV, _thoughts_. Hope you enjoy it, and if you do, please let me know. Thanks!

**Rounding The Bases**

Jogging up the sidewalk that leads to my parent's front door, I let out a sigh and run my fingers through my unruly locks._What a day.. And I'm late? Ma's gonna be on my ass as soon as I walk through the door.. I can't catch a break._

Pulling the front door open, I can already hear my brother and my mother fussing. From what I can tell, Frankie isn't winning this round of you-need-a-wife-to-take-care-of-you.

"Hey, ma! I'm here and I'm starving! Where's the gnocchi?"

_This house always smells like food.._

"Good to see you too.." She calls out, then continues to give my brother a hard time. "I just don't see why you can't get married and settle down and give me grandchildren! Either of you! That goes for you too, Jane!"

I walk into the kitchen to find Frankie and my mother at the table, dirty dishes in front of them. Frankie has an empty beer bottle in front of him that he is peeling the label off of, and my mother has a glass of wine in front of her that is likely to be her second or third glass of the evening.

"You're late, Jane.. And not just by a few minutes! Everyone's already finished eating.. I had to threaten to sit on Frankie so he wouldn't eat all the gnocchi! If you had a _normal_ job, maybe you could make it on time to see your _family.. Family, _Jane, is _everything_."

I shrug, noticing that there are four places set at the table, four sets of dirty dishes and glasses, and it hits me that I had invited Maura to join me and my family for gnocchi night.

_Oh, God.. Poor Maura! She had to sit through a night of Rizzoli brand of batshit crazy without me.._

My mother rolls her eyes.

"Where's Maura?"

Frankie pats his stomach and lets out a loud burp, laughing as he says, "My compliments to the chef, Ma.."

"Your father got a call in the middle of dinner out to the old Mazucco place, the one on Hanover Street. Pipe burst, water was all over the place. Your lazy ass brother over there didn't want to ride along, so Maura volunteered to help him out.." My mother informs me, and I can't help but raise an eyebrow, which causes her to add, "Don't look at me like that! Your father said he would love for her to come along, said he could use the help!"

_Pop's got no idea what he's gotten himself into.. Maura's probably reciting the history of the blowtorch or explaining why shit won't run up a hill or something like that…_

"Ma, you couldn't.. I don't know.. maybe talk Maura out of going? She's.. I mean, Maura.. she's got no business fixing leaks and plunging toilets.."

As if the mere mention of her name had summoned her, I hear Maura laughing behind me.

"Hey, don't you be badmouthing my new helper! This gal's a regular Mario or whoever it was you kids used to fight over being in that Nintendo game you two used to slug each other over. She crawled up under the sink with a wrench and that torch and had things fixed in no time, right Maura?" My father says, and I turn around to see that he is grinning from ear to ear and patting Maura on the back.

_Holy shit!_Standing next to my father is none other than my best friend, Doctor Maura Isles. Clad in a dark green pair of wet coveralls with _Rizzoli & Sons _emblazoned on her chest, she has a tool belt around her waist and a big, dimple showing smile on her face.

_She looks good in coveralls with a tool belt slung low on her hips._

I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat and try not to look her over but fail miserably.

"Hey, Pop.. Glad you got things fixed and could get home at a decent hour."

I walk over to my father and give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Maura, honey, if you want to get out of those wet coveralls, just head upstairs to Janie's room. I'm sure you can find something clean and dry to put on, okay?" My mother says to Maura, then turns towards me and adds, "I let her borrow one of your t-shirts and a pair of your jogging pants to put on under her coveralls. I didn't want her to ruin such a lovely dress, y'know?"

I roll my eyes before casting them back towards Maura.

I can't help but smile, noticing that her hair has been pulled up into a ponytail and tucked under a _Rizzoli & Sons _baseball cap. She smiles brightly back at me, and I can't stop the warmth that spreads throughout my entire body.

_She looks good as a Rizzoli.._

Maura then flashes a small, polite smile at my mother before heading upstairs.

"Game's on, Frankie.. Janie, lets go! C'mon.. you guys grab some beers and meet me in the living room!" My father says, heading towards his favorite recliner.

_The game! How could I forget?_

"You and Frankie go ahead, Pop. I'm going to grab something to eat, I'll be there in a few minutes.."

I watch as Frankie heads into the living room with two beers in his hand, followed by my mother who has decided to take the entire bottle of wine with her, sans glass, in to watch the game.

_Keepin' it classy, Ma.. Rizzoli style…_

"Your gnocchi's in the oven, covered in foil.. Should still be warm.. And don't you dare think about bringing that into the living room! You eat at the table, like you were raised right! And it's your turn to do the dishes!" My mother calls out to me, and I just sigh.

_That woman tap dances all over a nerve I didn't know existed until she started dancing on it._

Plate of gnocchi and fork in hand, I grab a beer out of the refrigerator and head over to the table. The first bite through the last is always the best bite of my mother's gnocchi. Using the edge of the table to pop the top off of my beer, I smile then bring the bottle up to my lips for a refreshing sip.

"Did you know that crown topped bottles date back to 1892? Crown tops are believed to have been invented by an American by the name of William Painter, so it's safe to say that bottle openers date back to 1892 as well.." Maura says, smiling at me as she sits down across from me.

I shovel a forkful of gnocchi into my mouth then attempt to talk around it."Noff, I didn't know vaatt, Mrrr."

_Jesus, that Red Sox shirt looks a lot better on her than it does on me.. and is she wearing my old running shorts?_

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Jane." She says, scrunching up her nose at me in reproach.

I smirk at her before taking a long sip of my beer, and she smiles back at me. I eat in silence, comfortably so, just enjoying her company as well as the amazing food I am consuming as fast as humanly possible.

"Have fun playing plumber?"

As I continue to eat, she throws her head back and laughs.

"Oh, Jane.. I had so much fun! I enjoyed working with the blowtorch, and your father seemed impressed with the job I did." She tells me, her voice full of excitement as she continues. "Of course, I could have done without the coveralls.. and my hair must look atrocious.."

My mind must be determined to prove I'm a dumbass, because it tells me what to say, and my mouth follows orders.

"Bullshit, Maur.. you always look amazing."

I feel myself start to blush and all of a sudden, I find my bottle of MGD 64 very interesting.

"Thank you, Jane. I hope you don't mind that I borrowed a pair of your shorts and one of your Red Sox t-shirts. I thought it would be appropriate to show support for the team your family seems to love so much." Maura tells me, as she stands and starts to clear the table.

_Could she be more adorable?_

"Hey, you.. That's my job. Sit back down, I'll get that. It's my night to do the dishes."

_She looks good in my clothes.. My shirt is so tight on her, and my shorts are clinging to that.. Damn it.. just.. stop. Don't go there._

"Don't be absurd. I like to help.. And besides, you must be tired after such a long day at work." She says, and as I continue to stuff my face, she begins doing the dishes.

_She helps Pop, loves my Ma's gnocchi, takes care of me and puts up with all my bullshit.. She's already family, both Ma and Pop have said so. That's it. I'm marrying this woman. It's a done deal.._

After finishing the last bite of gnocchi, I polish off my beer and head over to put my dish and fork in the sink. Tossing the empty bottle into the trashcan, I walk back over to the sink and stand behind Maura.

"Anything I can do to help?"

I take a small step forward, so that I am almost pressing my body into hers, and inhale deeply.

_God, she smells so fucking good.._

"I've got it, but thank you for offering to help. You can stay and keep me company if you like?" She says, tossing a smile my way over her shoulder before she goes back to washing dishes.

The urge to touch her overwhelms me, and I have to fight it, have to muster up enough willpower to keep my hands to myself.

_Don't touch.. She's off limits. Not only is she your best friend.. You're not her type, remember? Besides.. She's not.. She doesn't.._

I watch as she scrubs each plate carefully, thoroughly, and I can't stop myself from wondering if her hands would be as thorough if they were given the task of pleasing me. Finding that my mouth has grown dry, I close my eyes, trying to clear my mind of the images that fill it, trying to quell the longing and desire that fills me. My pulse is racing, so I take a few deep breaths, trying to get myself to calm down.

_Fuck, Rizzoli.. Get it together! _

I open my eyes to find that the dishes are done and she has turned around and is now looking up at me, an adorable, questioning expression on her face.

"Is everything.. okay?" She asks, pausing for a second before she adds, "You seem to have gotten lost in thought, and I don't think you heard a word I said about the faulty plumbing and sub par living conditions in most of the older buildings on Hanover Street.."

_What?_

"Uhh.. yeah, uhh.. no.. Sorry, Maura.. I was thinking.. about.. things... Uhh, what were you saying?"

She shakes her head and laughs at me.

"It's not really all that important, Jane. Lets go watch the game, okay? I promise not to spout statistics about each player or provide the entire history of Fenway."

_Fucking adorable.._

"Actually, I find that stats thing you do kinda helpful.. I don't know anyone, not even Pop or Frankie, who can quote stats like that on all our boys."

I grab two beers out of the fridge and hand her one.

"You gonna watch a game with the Rizzolis, you gotta do it Rizzoli style.. Which means there will be alcohol. And swearing."

Slipping her arm around my waist, she pulls me close to her for a hug, and when she speaks her voice is small and wavering.

"Thank you, Jane.. for inviting me to spend time with you and your family. It means so much to be included, to feel like.." She lets her voice trail off as I wrap my arms around her and she buries her face into my chest.

She clings to me tighter, and I hear her sniffle and let out a little whimper.

_What the..? What's wrong? Oh, God…_

I take her beer from her hand and set it along with mine down on the kitchen counter.

"Hey, whoa.. Maur.. are you.. are you crying? Oh, sweetie, it's okay.."

Cradling her in my arms, I kiss the top of her head and close my eyes.

_She's never had this.. family, love, acceptance.. All the things I've taken for granted and bitched about all my life. The overprotective mother, the tough, no nonsense father.. The annoying but supportive younger brother…_

She shifts a little, and I open my eyes as she pulls back so that she can look into them.

"I enjoyed spending time with your family tonight, and helping your father was so.. I just really felt like I belonged. I can't explain it. Jane.. It's a little overwhelming. I feel.. Oh, Jane.. I feel _loved_." Her last word is whispered as she lowers her head.

_If you only knew…_

My index finger finds its way under her chin, and I gently encourage her to make eye contact with me once again.

"Maur.. you _are_ loved.. you know that, right? I mean.. you mean a lot to all of us… to me."

I wipe away the tear that has started to make its way down her face and gaze into bright, watery hazel eyes. She offers me a small, shy smile, and the urge to capture her lips with mine hits me so strongly that it cannot be denied.

I lean down and press my lips to hers in an all too brief kiss, pulling back slowly so that I can gauge her reaction. The small smile is still there, and so I take that as a sign that maybe I should kiss her again.

_Holy shit.. I'm about to kiss Maura.. Again!_

Once again, I press my lips to hers, and this time, the kiss is longer and more passionate.

_She's kissing me back!_

I pull her to me so that her body is pressed completely against mine, feel her teeth capture my bottom lip and tug playfully. I smile into the kiss then slowly open my mouth to her, feel her tongue glide over and around my tongue, moan as her hand makes its way to the back of my neck..

"Hey, Janie, your mother wanted.." My father stops mid sentence as he steps into the kitchen.

I slowly pull away from Maura, who is smiling timidly, and offer her a look that I hope will serve as an apology for us having been interrupted.

"Uhh.. I was just sayin'.. hell, what was I sayin'?" My father says, then chuckles to himself before he adds, "Y'know what? It ain't important.. I'm gonna just grab some beers for me and Frankie and, uhh.. You two can join us when you're done.. Okay? Okay.."

I can't help but laugh as I watch Maura blush and try to hide behind me.

My father grabs a few beers out of the refrigerator and disappears, but not before tossing one last comment over his shoulder.

"You go, Janie!" He says, laughing as he makes his way back into the living room.

_Oh. My. God!_

"That was incredibly embarrassing." Maura says, smiling up at me, her dimples on full display.

_I'm just glad Pop didn't freak out.. or call Ma and Frankie in here for a 'family meeting'…_

"For you, yeah.. You got caught kissing a dumb, broke cop.. I got caught making out with a wicked hot, smart doctor. I regret nothing."

She playfully hits me on the arm, and I laugh, pulling her back as close to me as possible so that I can plant a soft kiss on her neck.

"You want me." She says, and it is absolutely not a question.

_Leave it to Maura to state the obvious at a time like this._

Instead of denying it, because I can't.. and instead of explaining it, because I can't do that either.. I simply continue to trail kisses along her neck, and I am rewarded with a low moan that rumbles out of her and into my chest.

"I have.. for awhile now."

My confession escapes between kisses, and she just laughs and squirms a little as I brush my lips over what must be a particularly sensitive spot on her neck.

"I'm glad you decided to act on what you have been feeling. I wasn't sure if I was reading your expressions and body language correctly, so I wasn't sure.. I wasn't confident enough to make the first move." She tells me, and I pull back so that I can look into her eyes.

_Oh, Maura.._

I lean down and nuzzle my nose against hers, smiling as she takes my hand and links our fingers together.

"We should go watch the game with your family." She says, then presses her lips to mine for a soft, sweet kiss.

I groan in protest.

"I like the game we're playing."

_I really like the game we're playing._

"So do I, and we can continue playing this game later. In fact, it might even go into overtime. But I think that by now, your father has told your mother and Frankie what he saw when he walked into the kitchen.." She says, squeezing my fingers lovingly.

Whatever else she was going to say is cut short by a voice flowing through the thin walls separating the living room from the kitchen.

"Janie, those dishes have been done! You girls get in here and watch the game. No one rounds the bases in this house but me and your father, Jane Rizzoli!" My mother calls out, and a round of laugher from everyone in the living room can be heard.

I feel myself blush and for the first time in my life, I find that I am unable to come up with a smartass comeback to what my mother has said.

"Jane and Maura, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then Ma's got a grandkid in a baby carriage!" Frankie sings loudly, and another round of laughter drifts into the kitchen.

Grabbing our beers with my free hand, I shake my head and start to lead Maura towards the living room. Maura just laughs, and I continue shaking my head as we walk hand in hand into the living room and settle down next to one another on the couch.

"It's 'bout time, Janie, that's all we're sayin'.." My father says, smiling at me and Maura.

_I guess everyone but Maura could see how I feel about her._

I hand Maura a beer, and she pauses for a second before leaning up and using the corner of the coffee table in front of us to pop the top off of it. She looks at me and smiles before leaning back and snuggling up closer to me.

_I might just make her a Rizzoli after all, and in more ways than one…_


End file.
